The Outsider
by Rubik Ace
Summary: A university student who is currently writing a book about serial killers is allowed to stay in the Baltimore State Hospital for the Criminally Insane as Dr. Lecter's neighbor. Will The Good Doctor allow the young foreigner interview himself without messing with her head? English is not my mother tongue so grammar mistakes might occure. Rating might go up later. Dr. Lecter/OC
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I own neither the characters (except for Saskia and some other minor characters I've had to create) nor the setting, they belong to Thomas Harris.**

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Nothing, absolutely nothing, was left of the lovely summery breeze down in that concrete corridor I was walking along. It was all damp and cold down there and in the air was the recognizable smell of mold. I could hear the footsteps of two people: mine and the person accompanying me. A man named Dr. Frederic Chilton was striding right behind me.

"As you probably do know perfectly well Ms. Koulikov, this is a very special occasion. Usually I wouldn't even consider of letting someone stay in one of our cells for as long as they like just to write a book," Dr. Chilton said with a slightly frustrated tone in his voice. He wasn't happy that I was there, but the thought of all that publicity my book's publication could offer him had changed his mind about letting me stay down in the dungeons in the means of research.

"I understand and I'm most grateful that you are going to let me interview Dr. Lecter and live as his… neighbor, so to speak, as long as I need." I was very aware that I spoke with a very thick accent and that I most likely had made several grammar mistakes during the little chat with Dr. Chilton on our way down.

We arrived into a small room where a very big and impressive orderly was reading a book. He looked up and seemed surprised when he saw me. I guess he had expected someone less… me.

"You must be Saskia Koulikov?" He asked with a very deep voice. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

I shook his hand and gave him as powerful glance as I could. I had to prove myself to these people.

"And you must be Barney?" I asked softly. The orderly nodded and looked at Dr. Chilton. Chilton shrugged.

"Barney will show you your… accommodations and revise the rules once more. I must get going so that I won't be late for my meeting. Have a nice time Ms. Koulikov."

"Thank you, Dr. Chilton," I said coldly as he went. I had hated every moment I had to spend with him.

I jumped a little when Barney talked again. I was so on edge and excited that it made me overreact on everything.

"I expect Dr. Chilton told you the rules," Barney said. "Don't go near the glass, don't pass him hard objects and if you have to pass him something, use the food carrier?"

I nodded. "Yes, he was very precise on what I can and can't do."

"Sounds like something I was expecting him to do. He has been very nervous about all this since we've had to do some arrangements for you," Barney explained.

"I understand and as I told Dr. Chilton earlier, I am very grateful for all you have done for me."

Barney never stopped talking while I followed him down the corridor. On my left were several cells and their occupants and I could feel all the prisoners staring at me, some of them whispering something I'm glad I couldn't hear.

When we arrived to the last cell Barney moved to my left so that I could see the occupant. He was lying on his bunk, reading. He didn't acknowledge my or Barney's presence.

"Ms. Koulikov, allow me to introduce you to Dr. Hannibal Lecter."

I nodded shakily without looking away from the man in a blue jumpsuit. Dr. Lecter placed his bookmark between the pages and let the book rest on his thigh. Now he was looking at me in a way that made shivers run down my spine.

He stood up slowly and walked to the glass with his cold staring eyes fixed on me. I felt the need to take a step back but I knew I shouldn't express my fear. I stood still and stared back.

"Good afternoon Dr. Lecter. I'm Saskia Koulikov. I'm sure you have been informed about the reasons I'm here."

He raised his eyebrow and tilted his head.

"I sure have. I thought it was quite funny that someone would come to stay here voluntarily, as no one else here did. I hope you enjoy your stay."

Dr. Lecter returned to his bunk and continued reading without another word. I shrugged and turned around to see my accommodations Dr. Chilton and Barney had arranged me.

It was a regular cell with bars and everything. Inside it was a bunk, similar to Dr. Lecter's, a small table, chair and a typewriter. A small dresser had been brought in for my clothes and a large blanket had been hung up to the ceiling right behind the bars to give me some privacy.

"I know it's very cramped and not very well decorated but that's all we've got to offer you. If you need something I can try to get it for you," Barney said. He seemed to be genuinely sorry, unlike Dr. Chilton, who had been openly spiteful.

"I'll be all right, thank you Barney," I assured him. At the moment I couldn't have been more uncertain of myself being "all right". Dr. Lecter was still reading, like nothing around him existed.

"I'll leave you to unpack and settle in then," the big orderly said and gave me a big smile. I stood there like an idiot for a while, watching his back as he walked away. It was like I had just been thrown to the wolves.

I stepped into the cell and placed my suitcase and backpack to the corner. I started moving my belongings into the drawers and every time I got the chance, I glanced at Dr. Lecter who was still ignoring me. I decided to ignore him in turn and try talking to him later.


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you very, very much for the reviews of Chapter 1! You definitely made my day :)**

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Since I was not an inmate, I was allowed to use exercise pen when ever I wanted to. The air in that large concrete room was slightly more breathable than in the cell blocks and corridors.

I had decided to go jogging later that day I had arrived. I had gotten bored staring at my own or Dr. Lecter's cell on the other side of the corridor and, of course, Dr. Lecter had not shown any signs of opening his mouth and producing speech that was aimed at me. He had been just reading or drawing or writing a letter in complete silence. Only thing breaking that nerve-wracking silence had been me writing with my typewriter about what it had been like to walk along those damp corridors, to meet _the _Dr. Hannibal Lecter and what it was like to stay in a prison cell. I could have sworn I had felt Dr. Lecter's eyes on my back a few times but of course it might have been just wishful thinking.

The sound of my footsteps pounded off the walls of the exercise pen as I ran slowly and far away from that thick red line that said "do not cross". The guards were watching me from the boardwalk above me but hadn't bothered to say anything. Until then.

"You've got some lovely stride there."

I startled and looked up. A brown-haired guard was leaning on the railing and staring at me. I stared back.

"Thank you. Such a pity I can't give you any compliments in turn since I haven't been paying much attention to anyone while running," I said courteously, though I couldn't help feeling just slightly uncomfortable. Something in that guard gave me the creeps, even Dr. Lecter hadn't made my skin crawl that way.

"Lovely pair of tits you've got there too. I like watching them bouncing when you run."

"Excuse me?!" This was getting ugly.

"You heard me," the guard said and gave me a very disgusting smile. "Would you like me to assist you shower after your exercise?"

I turned around and walked out of the pen without a single word. I was so angry I wished I could scream without anyone hearing it. It was my first day there and I had already been verbally assaulted. I wasn't in the mood for talking to Dr. Lecter anymore, since he would most likely at least try to insult me too.

I slammed all the doors shut behind me, I ignored Barney who asked me if I was ok, I snapped back to all those inmates who tried to make contact with me along the way and when I finally returned to my cell I drew the curtain so fiercely it almost dropped to the floor. I. Was. Furious.

As I was looking for a towel I was being a bit too careless when throwing my belongings around the cell. I didn't remember I had wrapped my wristwatch into a sock to keep it from getting damaged during my flight, and, of course, I threw the sock out of my way like all my other garments. The watch fell from the sock and the glass shattered when it hit the ground.

"Shit!" I snarled and picked up the watch. "Shit… OW!"

I had cut my thumb to a shard of glass when picking up the watch. I wrapped a tissue around my finger and watched the blood slowly make its way through the soft paper. This clearly was not my day.

While just sitting there I was doing my best trying to pull myself together. I wanted to cry but that was definitely not an option around Dr. Lecter who would just pick on me about it.

"It does not hurt that bad. Something happened in the exercise pen. What was it?"

I stood up slowly, walked to the bars and drew the curtain. Dr. Lecter was sitting sideways on his chair so that he could see my cell from there. He looked at me and tilted his head.

"It… it was nothing," I said. "Nothing important anyway."

"Don't lie to me. It was something that clearly upset you. What was it?" His tone was very soft but I could hear the annoyance. He wasn't pleased that I tried to lie to him.

"It was one of the guards. He made some… comments."

"What kind of comments?" Dr. Lecter asked. So this is what I had to do to get his attention? To cut myself with a broken wristwatch and cry because some guard couldn't keep their mouth shut?

"I'm getting impatient here. What kind of comments?"

"Comments about… my body," I whispered. I was so ashamed I could have killed myself right there. I was there to interview Dr. Lecter, not vice versa.

"Ah, I see. Was his name M. Thompson perhaps?"

"I don't know, I couldn't see the name plate. He was on the boardwalk."

"I have heard Mr. Thompson make some unspeakably hideous comments about women a few times. What did he say exactly?"

I shook my head. "I'd rather not talk about it. It was nothing personal."

Dr. Lecter stood up and walked to the glass. He was looking at my hand now.

"Come here and let me see that finger. It's still bleeding quite badly."

I froze for a moment. I had heard stories about something like this but I had no idea that they were actually true. He was like some shark that could smell a drop of blood from miles away.

I walked to the glass and unwrapped the tissue around my thumb. Indeed, my finger was still bleeding and the tissue was getting all wet from the blood. I showed the cut to Dr. Lecter.

"That won't need any stitches, though you should be very careful so that it doesn't get infected. I suggest you ask Barney for some disinfectant and a band-aid."

Dr. Lecter turned to his drawing and left me standing there, feeling stupid.

"Umm… Thank you, Dr. Lecter."

"Don't mention it. When you return, I want to hear what Mr. Thompson said to you."


	3. Chapter 3

Something woke me up in the middle of the night. Most likely it was because I still hadn't gotten used to the time difference but I couldn't help feeling there was something else to it. Was it perhaps all the stress I had been put through earlier? I didn't know. Maybe it was the coldness of the dungeons? I didn't know. It was something though, but I was unable to identify it.

The evening hadn't been a complete disaster after all, although Dr. Lecter had indeed insisted I tell him what that awful guard had said. I had been reluctant at first of course, but I gave up eventually, since I just had wanted to be left alone for a while. Dr. Lecter had been seemingly curious during my monologue, but I was pretty sure it was only because distress interested him. He then had thanked me with a peculiar tone in his voice and I had been sure, he was going to come up with an insult. He hadn't.

Before calling it a night I had kept myself busy with writing, talking with Barney and just wandering around. I had also had a chat with one of the inmates, a young man who seemed to be reasonably sane. I didn't know why he was down there and I had considered it inappropriate to just ask. He had been very sweet wishing me good luck with my book and intention to try to interview Dr. Lecter. I sure was going to need all the luck available.

But now I was awake again, having no clue what time it was. It was still dark in the corridor, so it must have been nighttime. I sat up, wrapped my blanket tightly around my shivering body and leaned to the cold wall.

I hated myself for being such a crybaby whenever something didn't go according to my plans, like earlier. Around Dr. Lecter nothing went unnoticed, and I could only blame myself if he turned my life into hell on earth after seeing me in a vulnerable state of mind. There were so many things he could pick on me for it was almost frightening. My thick Russian accent, my appearance, my personality, you name it. So far he had been rather distant and silent but I was certain he would eventually break the silence with something about myself I would not want to hear.

I looked at my injured thumb which was now covered with a brown band-aid. Barney had been very kind giving me a whole package of them and a small bottle of disinfectant so that I wouldn't have to walk all the way to the orderly's office when it was time to change the plaster.

Now that I was awake and didn't feel sleepy anymore, most likely due to the time difference, I thought I might as well go and have a chat with Barney, who I knew was doing the night shift. I got up, put my slippers on and snuck out of the heavy door. I didn't have time to take another step before I was scared half to death by a loud bang behind me. I spun around, afraid of what I might see. I could only see a wall, bars of my cell on my right, and the plexiglass of Dr. Lecter's cell on my left. Nothing was out of ordinary, except for Dr. Lecter's sliding food carrier, which was now outside of his cell. As far as I could remember, it hadn't been used after the supper was served, after Barney had picked up the dishes and pushed the carrier back inside the cell.

I approached the carrier slowly, being careful not to get too close to the plexiglass. I was very aware that somewhere in the darkness of the cell Dr. Lecter was looking at me with those piercing eyes of his, waiting for me to do what he had predicted I would do.

And I did exactly that. I walked to the food carrier and looked into it. There was a piece of parchment paper in it. Even though I knew it was useless because of the darkness, I glared into Dr. Lecter's cell before picking up the paper. I could see there was a drawing on it, but I couldn't see properly what it was before I took it to my cell and eyed it in the light of a flashlight.

It was a drawing indeed, and a well-drawn one too. It was a picture of a crucifixion, very similar to those hung up on Dr. Lecter's walls, although a smaller one and more like a sketch. I admired all the details of the face, and it took me a while to realize why this drawing was a big deal. When it hit me, I froze.

The face was the guard's, Mr. Thompsons.

"Dr. Lecter?" I asked softly, being careful not to wake up the other inmates.

No response.

"Dr. Lecter, I know you're not asleep and you can hear me just fine."

"How can you tell?"

It made me jump a little that he actually responded. His voice was very raspy, like he had a cold.

"If you were asleep you wouldn't have had time to draw this. You were reading all evening."

"How very observant of you. Do you like my gift?"

"I do, I'm just uncertain what I should think about it. What's the meaning?"

"I tend to find rudeness very distasteful," Dr. Lecter snapped. "The way that guard treated you was most disrespectful, and wanted you to know that I'm on your side when it comes to Mr. Thompson."

"What about what comes to everything else?" This was progress and I certainly would have lots of fun writing about this in the morning.

"That's something I guess I will have to find out later. After all, you're not going anywhere for quite a while, are you?"

"No, I'm not. So you'll talk to me then? You're willing to be interviewed at some point?"

I never got a response to that and I didn't bother to ask for it. Even though Dr. Lecter was clearly interested in me only when I was upset about something, I still could use that to start a conversation.

I was a lot more confident now that I knew which button to push. I looked at the drawing for a while and hid it under a book on my table before going back to bed. I fell asleep listening to a sound of a charcoal moving on a parchment paper on the other side of the corridor.

"Good morning Ms. Koulikov," said a very cheerful voice in front of my cell. Something smelled like breakfast right outside of the bars. I opened my eyes, sat up and drew the curtain just to be blinded by the bright lights of the corridor. I let out a grunt, rubbed my eyes sleepily and glared at the person who had just waked me up.

It was a blond-haired man in his mid-thirties. He wore the same kind of uniform as Barney and I assumed this guy was another orderly.

"No need to look so grumpy, it's a nice day," he said, looking like he was almost hovering above the floor just from overflowing cheerfulness. "Hi, I'm Terry."

I shook his hand through the bars and glared at him. I was definitely not a morning person and I needed some time in peace and quiet before having to talk to anyone after waking up, or otherwise I might be cranky till noon.

"I brought you your breakfast. Barney bought you a bit fancier one for this morning because he wanted you to have a good start for your first whole day in here."

I smiled a little bit. Barney didn't even know me and still he was so thoughtful.

"Would you be so kind and thank Barney for me since you most likely see him sooner than me?"

"No problem," Terry said and opened my cell door to hand me my breakfast. It included bacon, couple of boiled eggs, a croissant and a glass of orange juice. There were only few things I enjoyed more than a good and greasy breakfast.

"Thanks Terry," I said, feeling a lot better now. However, I promised myself I would take a nap after eating.

"Don't mention it. Enjoy that bacon for me too Ms. Koulikov."

"I will. Thank you, Terry."

Terry left for the orderly's office and let me eat in peace. I stuffed my mouth full of that greasy goodness and thought of a good way to return the favor to Barney. I thought I might just ask this Terry what kind of music Barney liked and buy him a ticket to a concert.

As soon as I finished eating I left the dishes on my table and crawled back to bed. I pulled the blanket so up it almost covered most of my face and arranged it comfortably around myself. I sighed and closed my eyes. I seriously needed to sleep off my jet lag before even thinking about trying to have a proper conversation with Dr. Lecter.

Speaking of Dr. Lecter, although I didn't know it at the time, Dr. Lecter had had no sleep at all during the night. He had been thinking about me and making his own conclusions just to reveal them to me later that day. I could feel him staring at me, smirking, when I curled under my blue blanket to continue my beauty sleep after a heavy breakfast. Oh, he would have his fun when I woke up.


	4. Chapter 4

**Thank you all for the reviews, faves and follows! It's been surprising how many of you actually like this, I was absolutely certain you would flay me into ribbons for this :P I hope you enjoy the new chapter, I'm offering you some epic mind games...**

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"You sleep a lot but your sleep is restless."

I glanced at Dr. Lecter who seemed to be reading on his bunk but apparently had been staring at me for quite a while. I hung my head, rubbing my eyes. I had slept over two hours after breakfast but still I felt so tired I could have just fallen to the floor and started snoring. My short hair was pointing to every imaginable direction.

"Well, I would be lying if I said I didn't agree with you Dr. Lecter. I feel awful."

"You had some REM sleep at night but it didn't last long and you were tossing quite a lot and mumbling something. Did you have a nightmare?"

"I don't know," I said and stretched my arms. "At least I can't remember if I had one."

Dr. Lecter suddenly stood up and walked to the plexiglass.

"Come here."

I frowned.

"Why?"

"Just come here," Dr. Lecter said, making an inviting gesture with his hand. I didn't like the look on his face but I stood up and stepped out of my cell since I thought it would be a waste of time to be reluctant. Still, I kept my distance by staying on my side of the corridor.

Dr. Lecter smirked in a way that made chills run up and down my spine.

"Don't be afraid, I won't bite," he said, the irony obviously being intended. I raised an eyebrow and refused to take another step.

"I think I'll stay here just for now. Why did you persuade me to come out here anyway? The floor is a lot colder here."

Dr. Lecter ignored my comment about the floor and leaned to the plexiglass, his eyes fixed on me.

"You've been cutting yourself."

Oh dear. He must have seen the scars when I stretched my arms.

"Tell me something I don't know."

"Rudeness is the weak man's imitation of strength."

"I'm sorry."

"I did some thinking during the night and I'm quite sure you've been injuring yourself purposely, because you feel unsafe in your body."

A beat of silence.

"Go on Dr. Lecter."

"When you arrived yesterday you were wearing black pants, a black t-shirt and a gray blazer. Black is a color often used to make one seem taller and more dominant. The blazer gives you a more masculine frame, which, I'm sure, is either consciously or subconsciously intended. Also you prefer a short and masculine haircut unlike other young women of your age. You want to seem more masculine than you really consider yourself in the means of protecting yourself from other people."

Dr. Lecter tilted his head with pleasure written all over his face when he saw me swallow nervously.

"When Mr. Thompson offered you his questionable compliment considering your breasts, you were upset because he saw you as a woman, as prey, if you allow me to use such an expression. You have indeed got rather big breasts even though you are quite short and petite, so it is obvious why Mr. Thompson as a man with no manners noticed them so quickly. But you, on the other hand, felt threatened because it was your body that gave him a reason to verbally assault you."

He allowed himself a short break to blink his eyes and draw a sharp breath before continuing again.

"You are angry at your body for making you seem as a sexual being to some individuals around you. You're afraid they will use you instead of respecting you, and that is why you've been cutting yourself and trying to look as manly as you possibly can. To gain respect from both yourself and the people surrounding you. You see yourself as a sensual but also vulnerable young woman, and you're afraid that others might consider you as such as well."

I stared at him, feeling numb. I was thinking fiercely but I was unable to come up with a response that would have given the impression that his words hadn't actually been that accurate. But I just couldn't.

Dr. Lecter was standing still, so close to the plexiglass he was almost touching it. I stared into his eyes with bitterness boiling inside my chest, trying to find a way out of this uncomfortable situation. Still I managed to control myself when I said: "I was warned you might do that."

"Predictable me," Dr. Lecter said, clearly amused now. "My visitors are always warned about my abilities to observe and interpret human behavior but still I seem to always upset every single one of them. Either people forget such warnings very quickly or I am getting very good at this."

I smiled a little. At least there was some sense of humor under that cold and frightening cover. Dr. Lecter raised an eyebrow.

"Forgive me Dr. Lecter, but considering your reputation as an invincible psychiatrist I find your pondering about your skills in such a way rather comical."

Dr. Lecter smirked.

"You're a hard one to break, aren't you? Should I make a comment about your breasts like Mr. Thompson and see whether that would work on you again?"

"I think we've discussed enough about my boobs for one day," I said and smirked back. "By the way, you wouldn't happen to know a way I could improve the quality of my sleep? This tiredness is killing me."

"In fact I do," Dr. Lecter said and only word that could describe his expression was "sneaky". "You should go back to the exercise pen and run until you can barely walk anymore."

"I sense this has also something to do with our friend Mr. Thompson."

Dr. Lecter was curious now, I could tell from the expression on his face. He then nodded and said: "I must say, you're offering me some challenge since you seem to be able to follow my thinking a lot better than an average visitor of mine. You cannot be easily distracted."

"Thank you Doctor."

"You are welcome, you deserve my praise. I must admit, I expected you to break beyond repair but you certainly didn't. You did well Ms. Koulikov."

"Thank you Dr. Lecter.

"Now, I can see you're aching to get back to your typewriter. Go before you forget something vital."


	5. Chapter 5

**Finally I managed to squeeze the fifth chapter out of my head. I've been working on another fic lately, so that's pretty much the reason for the update being delayed. Anyhow, this is a bit different chapter since it certainly doesn't contain any angsty and darkish stuff. Our beloved Doctor is on a good mood and encourages Saskia to revisit a little childhood memory. Enjoy! :)**

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It was my fifth day in the dungeons when Dr. Chilton bothered to pay a visit. I heard his footsteps coming towards the end of the corridor, but Dr. Lecter obviously had noticed Chilton's approach much earlier than me, by smelling Chilton's cologne. The smell reached my nose too, when Dr. Chilton stopped to stare at me through the bars.

"I'm disappointed at you, Ms. Koulikov."

I frowned a little behind the book I was reading.

"And why is that, Dr. Chilton?"

"You haven't reported me about anything he," Dr. Chilton pointed at Dr. Lecter behind him "has said to you."

"There has not been much to report Dr. Chilton," I said, letting my thick accent play with the letter R and the combination of T and H.

Chilton clearly wasn't happy, but he seemed to believe me. I was afraid to glance at Dr. Lecter who was looming like a ghost behind the plexiglass.

"It's all about co-operation in here, Ms. Koulikov. I want to be informed about everything that goes on down here. Understood?"

"Understood, Dr. Chilton."

Chilton was about to leave when he turned back and said dryly: "I almost forgot. I received a phone call from Germany at four a.m. this morning. It was from Aachen Prison."

"Oh?" I asked curiously. Aachen was the prison where I interviewed some of the most dangerous prisoners of the facility before arriving in Baltimore.

"Yes, 'oh', indeed. One of the guards wanted to know whether you had made it safely to Baltimore," Chilton said, clearly annoyed. "I told him you were fine and asked him to leave me his phone number."

Chilton threw a small piece of paper into my cell.

"You can call from the orderly's office. Have a nice day Ms. Koulikov."

And without another word Chilton left, leaving me stumble out of my bunk to get the paper. Dr. Lecter stood in the middle of his cell, his posture perfect as always, and his hands clasped behind his back.

"Interesting."

I was slightly startled by his sudden speaking and squeezed the paper tightly into my palm.

"What are you referring to with 'interesting', Dr. Lecter?"

"You lied to Dr. Chilton."

"Yes, that. If I had told him you have been talking to me, he would have asked me to tell him everything you have ever said to me, and I felt it would have broken the confidentiality."

Dr. Lecter raised an eyebrow.

"There's confidentiality between you and me?"

"I thought it would have been obvious," I said and sat on the edge of my bunk. I straightened the piece of paper and put it in the pocket of my black jeans. "Even though I'm writing a book about serial killers, I've never even considered publishing conversations without the other party's request."

"So you won't ask me a permission to publish our conversations, I have to tell you if I want them to be published?"

"Exactly, Dr. Lecter."

"Well aren't you a very unusual visitor of mine," Dr. Lecter said, smirking. "Most of those who wished to publish something concerning me, often didn't even ask whether I wanted it to be published."

"I assume they left crying?" I asked with a mischievous smile on my face.

"Somewhat, yes."

Suddenly Dr. Lecter raised his chin and inhaled deeply. I heard the footsteps of four people and Dr. Lecter kindly identified one of them for me.

"Ah, Barney. What brings you to this end of the corridor at such an unusual time?"

Barney placed a set of shackles, a straitjacket and Dr. Lecter's special mask into the sliding food carrier.

"Dr. Chilton ordered us to take you to the exercise pen today, since your lawyer had apparently demanded some new improvements to your quality of life."

As I watched Dr. Lecter being shackled and tied to the trolley-thingy they used to move him around, a random idea popped up. It was tentative at first, but as it grew stronger in my head, I decided to open my mouth and say it out loud.

"Could I go to the pen with Dr. Lecter?"

Barney and the three guards turned around and looked at me like I was the one supposed to be tied up and chained. Barney shook his head.

"I'm not sure if that's a good idea, Ms. Koulikov."

"Why not?" I challenged him. "Dr. Lecter's going to be shackled for the whole time, according to what I've heard anyway, so I don't believe he's a major threat to me as long as I stay outside the red line."

Barney looked defeated and glanced at Dr. Lecter, who was being innocent like a puppy.

"She is right," the Doctor said in his raspy voice. It wasn't easy to hear his words since the mask muffled him.

The guards merely shrugged as Barney asked their opinion with his defeated gaze. After few beats of silence Barney finally surrendered and said like a father to his two kids: "Alright, but if I see any antics of endangerment, Doctor, I'll have the guards on the boardwalk shoot you with a tranquilizer dart."

"I suggest you do that."

I didn't bother to change my clothes for just a mere walk. Excitement waved inside my ribcage as I waited for Barney and the guards to attach Dr. Lecter's shackles to the wire hanging from the ceiling. For a moment I pondered if I actually understood what I was getting into, but it was way too late to say I didn't want to do this. I had never been in a room that hadn't got bars or a plexiglass between myself and the inmate. I could have asked for that in Aachen, but I hadn't felt it to be necessary. This time it was very different, since Dr. Lecter seemed to think luck favored the bold, and I was certain that being bold would benefit me.

"You may come in now, Ms. Koulikov," Barney said after opening the pen door. An adrenaline rush stormed around my bloodstream.

"Thank you Barney. And you may call me Saskia."

"Alright, Saskia, come on in. I'll be on the boardwalk with two guards and the third one will be right outside this door."

I drew a sharp breath. "Okay. Thank you, Barney."

Stepping in the pen I noticed I was trembling. I clasped my hands tightly behind my back to prevent Dr. Lecter from noticing my nervousness. Speaking of the devil, the Doctor was pacing away from me and didn't even turn around when saying: "Come along, Ms. Koulikov. Stroll with me."

I jogged to his side just for Dr. Lecter to scare me half to death with a sudden spin around. The wire in the ceiling shrieked loudly. The Good Doctor tilted his head as I was staring at him with a frightened look on my face.

"You're not by any chance afraid of me, are you, Ms. Koulikov? After being so brave in the dungeons?"

I shook my head and tried to calm myself down again.

"It's hard not to be scared when you make sudden movements like that, Doctor. Every one of them could be an attack."

"Even if I wanted to attack you, I wouldn't be able to. The wire allowes me to move only inside the red oval, thus staying away from the red line will keep you quite safe."

The Doctor started walking again and I followed him, staying away from that thick red line, as adviced.

"Such a shame I can't run due to these leg shackles. I could chase you around to drain your energy."

I frowned disapprovingly.

"I don't have excess energy that needs to be drained."

"No, but it would help you sleep," the Doctor said, smiling his familiar self-satisfied smile. "Also, it could be fun."

"Perhaps for you, Dr. Lecter, but not for me. I don't like being chased."

"I would give you a head start."

"I'm sure you would, Doctor."

We walked in silence for a while, and I got a chance to take a glimpse of Barney and the guards on the boardwalk. Barney seemed worried.

Suddenly the Doctor stopped, staring at me with his frosty eyes. I stared back and raised an eyebrow to throw a silent question mark in the air. The man beside me briefly glanced the exercise pen and finally requested: "Do you mind running across the pen for me, Ms. Koulikov?"

"What?"

"You heard me. And if you could take the shortcut across my territory, so to speak, I would be quite pleased."

"нет. With due respect, Dr. Lecter, I don't want to give you an opportunity to lunge at me."

The Doctor smirked and jerked his leg. The shackles jingled loudly and the sound bounced back from the concrete walls.

"I am still wearing leg shackles. I cannot run after you, even if I wanted to."

I hesitated for minutes. I could feel Barney's concerned gaze on my back, feel the dart guns pointing at Dr. Lecter and hear my own, racing heartbeat. This could be a mistake, but it could also open me new doors and help me gain Dr. Lecter's respect. My choice wasn't easy, but I didn't regret it afterwards.

I decided to run. I took an exploding start, but quickly slowed down when I realized I was still alive and the Doctor hadn't even tried to attack me. He was pacing along the red oval with a smile on his face, and he didn't even approach me, even though I was standing still inside "his territory".

"Very good, Ms. Koulikov. I almost thought you wouldn't have it in you, but fortunately I was mistaken."

A sneaky smile lingered on my face as I took a few long strides towards the Doctor, but changed my direction just in time to avoid ending up too close to him.

I ran across the pen multiple times like a spring foal, Dr. Lecter occasionally faking an attack attempt to keep me busy. He wasn't being serious at all, and his expression had softened in a way I could have never thought possible. I myself was laughing ecstatically.

I hadn't been playing tag for ages, although this was a very twisted version of the game. Slowing down, exhausted, I could hear Barney saying something to one of the guards and chuckling. Apparently they weren't about to shoot a dart at Dr. Lecter after all, though it had been made very clear that Barney wouldn't allow any risks to be taken while I was at the pen.

Nevertheless, I was enjoying myself.

* * *

**нет = no**


End file.
